Panthers’ $800M Facility Project Remains In Limbo

The uncertainty around the future of the Carolina Panthers’ new $800 million training facility wasn’t made any clearer at Monday’s city council meeting. 

About 400 construction workers had their duties paused in Rock Hill, South Carolina, last week after the city missed a payment as part of an agreement to cover $225 million for infrastructure costs. 

Mayor John Gettys conceded that “the world has certainly changed since 2019,” when discussions of the project began, and that the city will push for a new agreement. The Rock Hill city manager claimed the Panthers told the city to not issue bonds.  

The city’s failure to fund the project has frustrated Panthers leadership, and the back-and-forth finger-pointing has put completion of the project in potential jeopardy, a source with knowledge of the city’s thinking told Front Office Sports. 

A real estate holding company run by Panthers owner Dave Tepper invested more than $170 million into the development, which would also serve as the team’s headquarters.

Panthers’ Land Grab

While there’s no indication that the Panthers are abandoning Rock Hill, Tepper has bought land near Bank of America Stadium, where the team has played since entering the league in 1996. 

• Tepper’s holding company purchased 4.6 acres for $15 million. 
• There are no plans yet to develop the site.
• The Panthers have the eighth-oldest stadium in the NFL. 

Tepper Sports and Entertainment said “work will continue with [its] partners to find an economically acceptable solution for all parties to continue this project in Rock Hill.”